Articles
Articles and analyses from the INET community on the key economic questions of our time.
How the U.S. New Economy Business Model has devalued science & engineering PhDs
This note comments on Eric Weinstein’s, “How and Why Government, Universities, and Industries Create Domestic Labor Shortages of Scientists and High-Tech Workers,” posted recently on INET’s website.
The Moral Burden on Economists
Which Productivity Puzzle?
The paradoxes of fiscal austerity in Brazil
Brazil’s current economic scenario does not resemble the emerging economy that until recently fueled the optimism of analysts and investors.
A Public Comment on the SEC Pay Ratio Disclosure Rule
In this comment, we explain our objections to the SEC’s current formulation of the Pay Ratio Disclosure Rule on each of three grounds: the erroneous estimation of CEO pay; the unclear specification of the “median” worker; and the risk of normalizing a pay ratio that is far too high. Then we present the latest data on the remuneration of the 500 highest-paid CEOs in the United States, demonstrating the way in which the SEC’s measure of CEO pay that enters into the CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio tends to systematically underestimate actual executive pay.
Debating Household Debt
Experts on Trial: Introduction
Dismantling Public Education: Turning Ideology into Gold
Policies based on faith in the “market” as a principle of social organization have wrought havoc with a founding principle of American democracy
China's Wage Growth: How Fast Is the Gain and What Does It Mean?
New findings show that hourly wage-rates in China are higher than in middle-income countries and are approaching the levels of Greece and Portugal
At Sea Without an Anchor
Zero Interest Rates in EU: The Myth of the Poor German Saver
Panic over the impact on German savers of low interest rates and looming inflation neglects to mention that very few Germans are saving much
'People Have Had Enough of Experts'
As part of our ongoing symposium “Experts on Trial”, Professor Sheila Dow argues that if voters have grown contemptuous of economists’ expertise, that’s because economics has been misrepresented as a technical subject separate from politics and moral judgments
Conflicts of Interest? Maybe Congress Should Look in the Mirror
New evidence shows personal wealth interests drive Congressional votes
Ferguson: Monetary Policy Can't Levitate a Broken Economy
As part of an International Economy symposium, INET Research Director Tom Ferguson assessed the challenge facing central bankers through the lens of the missing virtues of Dorothy’s travel companions in the Wizard of Oz
A Moral Challenge to Economists
Sraffa’s Revolution in Economic Theory
The prominence of the debate over ‘reswitching’ has obscured the importance of Piero Sraffa’s profound contribution to economics. It’s time to revisit and build on that body of work